I haven’t found any study about reusing radioactive concrete waste in new reactors. There are a couple for removing the radioactive contaminants but the process is fairly expensive. I’m not sure it’s even possible to safely reuse (instead of decontaminate) radioactive concrete without harming workers.
As to your point about capitalism:
There are multiple private, non government subsidized gas power plants planned/in construction in Germany.
Private solar farms and wind plants are very common as well, although they are partially subsidized.
No company dares to touch nuclear power plants with a ten foot pole in Germany. Even reactivating partially deconstructed plants - which is both cheaper and quicker than rebuilding new one’s - is considered “practically impossible” by Preussen Elektra and EnBW. Not even qualified workers exist anymore. Training and certifiying them would further require several years and tens, if not hundreds of millions of euros.
The one - and only one - group in Germany who wishes for a return of nuclear power are conservative populists who despise renewable energy (and wind turbines in particular).
Instead of wasting tens of billions euros, how about we use that money to massively expand battery storage and renewables as well as inter-European power lines?
Today, nuclear energy is only economical if you want to build and maintain nuclear bombs. That’s pretty much it.
I haven’t found any study about reusing radioactive concrete waste in new reactors. There are a couple for removing the radioactive contaminants but the process is fairly expensive. I’m not sure it’s even possible to safely reuse (instead of decontaminate) radioactive concrete without harming workers.
As to your point about capitalism:
There are multiple private, non government subsidized gas power plants planned/in construction in Germany.
Private solar farms and wind plants are very common as well, although they are partially subsidized.
No company dares to touch nuclear power plants with a ten foot pole in Germany. Even reactivating partially deconstructed plants - which is both cheaper and quicker than rebuilding new one’s - is considered “practically impossible” by Preussen Elektra and EnBW. Not even qualified workers exist anymore. Training and certifiying them would further require several years and tens, if not hundreds of millions of euros.
The one - and only one - group in Germany who wishes for a return of nuclear power are conservative populists who despise renewable energy (and wind turbines in particular).
Instead of wasting tens of billions euros, how about we use that money to massively expand battery storage and renewables as well as inter-European power lines?
Today, nuclear energy is only economical if you want to build and maintain nuclear bombs. That’s pretty much it.